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Google's Android file manager now supports USB drives
Files by Google (formerly Files Go) is helpful if you want an official means of managing the files on your Android phone, but there's been an obvious limitation: you couldn't move files to physical storage beyond the phone itself. You won't have that issue from now on. Google has released an update to Files that introduces support for external storage using USB On-the-Go. If you want to offload photos to a thumb drive, you won't have to track down third-party software.
Windows 3.0-style file browser lets you navigate like it's the 90s
Microsoft has released the source code for File Manager, the computer-navigating interface that debuted in Windows 3.0 and persisted through most of the 90s. Remember clicking rightwards through different folders, all nested in a single massive rectangle? Now you can run the interface in any version of Microsoft's operating system, including Windows 10.
Windows Phone now lets you browse your files
You no longer have to go searching app-by-app to find a buried file on your Windows Phone. Right on schedule, Microsoft has released its Files app; if you're running Windows Phone 8.1, you can now dig through folders to open and manipulate documents stored anywhere on your device. The interface won't compare to what you get on your PC, but it should be useful for offloading photos to an SD card or deleteing videos that are chewing up space. If you're already running Microsoft's latest and greatest mobile OS, you only have to swing by the Windows Phone Store to give the file browser a spin.
Soon, you'll be able to browse files on your Windows Phone
Windows Phone's latest update added a lot of features that we've been waiting years for, such as a virtual assistant and notification menu, but a file manager is still notably missing. In a Reddit "Ask me Anything," Microsoft's Joe Belfiore announced that his team is working on having one ready in the Windows Phone Store hopefully by the end of the month, and even had screenshots to prove that it's pretty close to becoming final (shown below). Of course, Microsoft's OS isn't the only one that's mysteriously neglected this particular feature: iOS and stock Android don't have a dedicated file system, either (unless you count third-party apps), so this is a good opportunity for Windows Phone to set itself apart from one of its larger competitors.
Microsoft details Windows 8 Explorer tweaks, adds ribbon UI
Lots of things are getting tweaked, if not completely overhauled, for Windows 8. That includes the ever-present Windows Explorer. Just like many other Microsoft apps, the file manager will be adopting the slightly more finger-friendly ribbon interface. But don't freak out about your precious screen real estate, the next version of Explorer will actually display more files than Windows 7 could by moving the details pane to the right-hand side and tweaking the padding. The up button has also returned and a slew of new keyboard shortcuts are being introduced. Check out the source link for more detail and a demo video.
Toshiba Thrive review
This isn't the first time Toshiba has showed up fashionably late to a party. Back in 2009, long after most every other consumer electronics maker big and small had jumped on the netbook bandwagon, the company belatedly released its first mini, the NB205. And it was fantastic. So we were optimistic when the outfit finally got around to releasing the Thrive, its first Android tablet for the US market. Surely, we thought, it's learned a thing or two from everybody else's mistakes. And in that regard, at least, this 10-inch tablet doesn't disappoint. It has full-sized USB and HDMI ports, an SD card slot, and a removable battery -- all features you'd sooner find on a laptop. It comes with a raft of practical apps already installed, so that you don't have to go hunting for them in Android Market. It's one of the first out of the gate with Android 3.1, an undeniably improved version of Honeycomb. Oh, and it starts at $429, undercutting many of its competitors. Right there, in less than a paragraph, we've laid out why you might want this over any of the other umpteen tabs crowding the market. But should you get one? Well, folks, we'll need more than a paragraph to tackle that. Join us after the break, won't you? %Gallery-128500%
Adobe CreatePDF for Android does exactly what its name implies
Google's mobile OS is growing and maturing into a business-savvy adult before our very eyes. With the release of Adobe's CreatePDF in the Android Market, we're delighted to finally see a PDF-creation app on the mobile front. Not only does it let you build a PDF from the ground up, it can convert most popular filetypes -- Word, Excel, Powerpoint, OpenOffice, Photoshop, RTF, and Illustrator, just to name a few -- into PDF format. You can import any of these kinds of docs from your phone to app via the built-in file manager, or transfer an email attachment to it using Android's share function. Available for a one-time payment of $9.99, CreatePDF won't be for the light-walleted or the casual app enthusiast; don't be put off by the price, though, because the online version charges that much per month to do the exact same tasks on your computer. Anyone rocking Eclair or better can partake of the PDF love, so head to the source link to get straight to installing.
Google adding Netflix, Hulu support, offline Gmail, Calendar and Docs to Chrome OS this summer, prices hardware at $20 per month
Google's currently in the process of detailing Chrome OS' latest improvements and there are a couple of big 'uns: Netflix and Hulu support will be available right out of the box for the pair of new Chromebooks -- one from Samsung and one from Acer. An improved file manager has also been added to the upcoming version of Chrome OS, plus offline versions of Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Docs -- all will be made available for Chromebook users this summer. You can learn more about these improvements in the video after the break. Far more monumental, Google's also just announced the cost of these Chromebooks and there's no upfront payment to speak of. Instead, Chrome OS laptops will be distributed on the basis of a recurring monthly subscription, which will cost $28 per user for businesses and $20 per user for schools. That includes regular software and hardware upgrades. Hardware as a service, folks! %Gallery-123369%
Homebrew file manager reveals secrets [Update 1]
The TIFF applications keep on coming. The latest one allows you to rename, move and delete files off your Memory Stick, directly from the PSP. I don't see much of a need for this, but it may be helpful for those of you that need to rename, hide and delete all that porn those confidential documents that you've been saving to the Memory Stick. Hey, more power to you. I love using my PSP as a back-up flash drive. It's great for carrying porn term papers around.If you do use the program, it appears that there are folders called GPS and USBMIC hidden on your PSP's flash memory. What could that mean? If we're lucky, it might mean that the upcoming GPS peripheral may have support on 2.80 firmware, without having to upgrade! That would be great for those of you that want to get the official device while running these small TIFF homebrew apps.[Via PSP3D][Update 1: The application has recently been updated. It can now read UMD data as well.]
Quickly navigate your Mac with Filegazer
Filegazer by Donelleschi Software is a very useful (and even fun) file-browsing utility. Basically, you set up the edges of your screen as hot zones. You can assign any folder to any hot zone, like your home folder or Applications. Mouse over that area and a hierarchical menu appears. This is where the fun begins.Filegazer allows you to navigate through your folders as you would expect, and offers live previews of several file types, such as JPGs, PDFs, HTML (without a browser), Word documents, videos and more. You can resize image previews and even jump to full screen mode and back again quickly. I like it.Filegazer requires Mac OS 10.3.9 or later and costs $19.95US for a single license.
